PiE a grand prize finalist in Zipcar’s Students with Drive competition! Vote for us!

Written by PiE Team on Apr 01, 2013

[**_Zipcar Grand Prize Competition!_**][0]

It is time for another Zipcar competition! PiE staff members are getting ready for another intense week of advertising and vote gathering. Last competition, PiE was locked in a neck and neck race for the top prize in the Academic Category. This time, the stakes are higher, with $_**10,000**_ in cash and an additional $_**5000**_ in Zipcar credits awarded to the winning team. Furthermore, if PiE is victorious, UC Berkeley will win $_**10,000**_ for its scholarship fund.

**_How to vote:_**

You can help PiE win the grand prize by voting for us on the Zipcar Facebook page. Voting is simple: like Zipcar’s page if you haven’t already, and check the box next to our name to vote for us. Every vote counts, and each vote brings us closer to our goal of getting high school students interested in science and engineering.

[https://apps.facebook.com/students-with-drive/vote.php][0]

**_How are we currently using Zipcar credits?_**

The credits won from the last Zipcar competition are already being put to good use. Mentors who would have been stuck in Berkeley, unable to reach their students, are now able to use Zipcar to travel all around the Bay Area and assist their high schools. Students and teachers no longer have to worry about being without mentors, as the mentors are now just a quick ride away. Transportation is no longer an issue, and everyone involved can focus less on their rides and more on their robots and engineering designs.

**_What we will do if we win the grand prize:_**

Should PiE win the grand prize money, PiE will take things a step further in our mission of STEM outreach. In addition to being able to transport mentors and students, PiE will also be able to provide a much wider variety of resources for the students to use when building their robots. Perhaps a team wants to build a sturdy chassis but does not have the correct saw or drill, or perhaps a team wants to integrate a pneumatic system onto their robot but does not have the correct parts available to them — the additional money would allows us to get more resources for the high school students to use. $10,000 would allow us to completely support 12 high school teams, meaning that over 100 students would be able to use a much wider variety of tools and parts to supplement their engineering creativity.